


Until the Bitter End

by nereidee (aurasama)



Category: Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 11:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7360294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurasama/pseuds/nereidee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Kaho makes her way through the ruined castle of Karst, the end of her journey and the showdown with the accursed queen draws near. But when she finds her one and only ally mortally wounded, she is faced with a terrible choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until the Bitter End

Karst Castle was in an even more terrible state than Kaho had anticipated. The curse hung heavy over the entire area, but nowhere had it been as bad as in the castle itself; the very air seemed tainted by it, and she found it difficult to breathe. It seemed to press against her on all sides, constricting her throat like a shackle. What a dreadful thing.

She could not put down the sacred leaf for a moment. The corridors, the courtyard, the gardens – they were all tainted with the vile magic. There was hardly a room that was not haunted by the spirits of the dead, and even the power she had was not enough to keep them at bay forever unless the source of the curse wasn't quelled.

It was a sorrowful place. She could tell Karst must have been a beautiful place once upon a time, but there was little left of its former glory. She thought back on Eri's words and knew the girl had told the truth. Very little of the Karstian population remained anymore – if the curse wasn't stopped soon, there would be no one left to save. She couldn't understand it; what on earth had possessed the queen to strike a deal with the underworld? Kaho smiled sadly. If the accursed queen hadn't been possessed before, she surely was now. There was no point in questioning her reasons at this point, nothing to be achieved from solving the mystery. It was too late. She could not guarantee the queen would survive the ordeal even if she managed to seal away the curse, and even if she did, what purpose would it serve? The queen would be devastated to see what had come of her actions. It pained her to even think about it, but perhaps it would be more merciful if the queen could not be saved.

Kaho paused to catch her breath, inhaling as deeply as she could. The climb was long and dizzying, and her majesty was no doubt cloistered somewhere in her chambers in the highest floor. Her side stung where the huntress had managed to strike her with her knife, though the poison was long gone. The huntress had fought fiercely though there was no hope, believing to her very last breath that the queen was innocent. The loss of more lives, and by the hand of a priestess, was a terrible price to pay for their salvation. Perhaps the Matriarch had known this; perhaps this was why she'd sent Kaho. She thought back on Lun and the other priestesses she served with – she knew the horror of what the sacred mission required would have broken them. If she could spare the others from having to go through this pain, then her mission was worth it. That thought had kept her calm where nothing else had.

She was panting now, rushing towards another floor. There was no time to waste; her journey had taken too long already. The air was thickening with each step and she knew the black magic was manifesting within the queen every moment, spreading like a cruel plague, and the only cure was her, Kaho. The corridor was dark but for the candelabras and the dancing flames of the candles. They painted black, moving shapes on the walls, and Kaho felt her nerves mounting. The magic in the air was intensifying the higher she climbed. She felt it like an electrical current humming in her every fiber, and it made the hairs at the back of neck stand up.

She was nearing the top of the stairs, and something dark was splattered on the steps, leading the way up. Kaho slowed down, the sacred leaf at the ready. Something dreadful had happened there, and recently – the blood was still fresh. Was the queen just up ahead?

She reached the corridor and saw a black shape ahead of her. The feeble light of candles made its shadow appear like a monstrous, lumbering thing, and her grip on the leaf tightened. She edged closer, ready to strike at the smallest movement, but then she recognized the person huddled against the wall.

It was Cath.

Kaho inhaled sharply. There was a pool of blood beside her, the carpet underneath her dark-red and wet. Her sword stood beside her, as though she'd tried to use it for support. At first, Kaho thought the knightess was unconscious, but as she walked closer the blonde's eyes opened by a fraction.

”Ah…. Kaho,” she managed, and the words seemed to cost her a great deal of effort. Kaho kneeled beside her, and she could tell there was nothing to be done anymore.

”I am here,” the priestess whispered, taking her hand. Her skin was like ice, but it glistened with sweat.

Cath closed her eyes, brows furrowed with pain. Her breathing was strained and she struggled to form words, her first attempt only coming out as guttural sounds and whimpers. Her grasp on Kaho's hand tightened momentarily. She took a deep breath and tried again.

”Kaho, please,” she managed. ”End my suffering.”

The priestess squeezed her hand to signal she'd heard her; there was a lump in her throat, and she couldn't get the words out. Cath opened her eyes once more, and her gaze was pleading through the shroud of pain. It shook the priestess more than anything else she'd encountered on her mission – the knightess had never betrayed a moment of weakness. Kaho had quite liked her bravado. She might have been rude upon their first meeting but she'd always been brave, so admirably brave, even with her homeland in ruins. In spite of herself, Kaho had been impressed. But now… To see her so crumbled and broken was like a slap in the face. She looked so small as she lay there, awaiting death.

Kaho met her eyes and even in the midst of her suffering, she so seemed determined, resolute. Cath had aided her in battle once; now was Kaho's turn to aid her. Who was she to deny her last wish? Slowly, the priestess nodded. Cath smiled but it quickly turned into a grimace, and her breathing seemed even more laborious than before.

The priestess leaned forwards and placed a small kiss on the blonde's forehead. A blessing, a show of gratitude and affection. She could give her nothing more now. Then she pressed her palms together, eyes closed, and prayed with all her power, her mind empty. She could feel as the air tightened around her and the last vestiges of life faded from the woman in front of her. When Kaho opened her eyes, the knightess was gone.

”May your soul find peace,” she said quietly, knowing Cath could not hear her where she was now. She got up slowly, ignoring her trembling hands. For one short moment, she had been grateful for the thought of not having to face the end alone; even that feeble hope had been taken from her.

The queen would pay for this.

**Author's Note:**

> The death of Cath was definitely the biggest shock for me in the game, it made me want to cry. ;^; So Kaho is channeling some of my feelings here - I went into the final battle in very vengeful spirits. I felt the need to avenge Cath.
> 
> I'm also really surprised there were no fics about Momodora 4 yet, it's definitely one of my favourite games now.


End file.
